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Vote smarter

One of our favorite nonprofit outfits, Project Vote Smart, will be stopping in Detroit this week as part of a national bus tour to raise public awareness of the group's so-called voter Self-Defense System, which is intended to "teach voters how to defend themselves against the rhetoric and misinformation that come out of political campaigns today." Information complied by a vast network of volunteers can be found on "every candidate and elected official from president to local government ..." the group promises. By going online to vote-smart.org or by calling 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762) you can learn about candidates' voting records, biographical information, evaluations by special interest groups and more.

"We wanted to get word out about our resources," says Ashley Haugo, a spokeswoman for the Montana-based group. "People can come on the bus to learn about the data we have available, and how to access it. And if they have questions, there will be someone right there to answer them."

The bus stopping in Detroit is essentially a mobile research center containing 12 computers, a theater, free wi-fi and various other exhibits. It will be at Detroit's Eastern Market from 7 a.m. until noon this Saturday, July 12. The day before it is scheduled to stop for the afternoon at the Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor. Visit the organization's website for more info.